What does Acts 28:7 mean?
276 crewmen and passengers, including Paul, Aristarchus, and Luke, have just survived a horrific storm and shipwreck. They are now stranded on the island of Malta. Weeks before, the ship had moored at Fair Havens on the southern coast of Crete. Paul told the ship's owner and shipmaster they needed to stay for the winter. The sailors countered that Fair Havens, despite its name, did not have an adequate harbor to weather the winter storms. Instead of sailing a few miles east to Lasea, they chose to risk open water and go west to Phoenix. On the way, the winds shifted, the storm arose, and the passengers and crew feared for their lives. Only judicious warnings and divinely guided advice from Paul saved them (Acts 27).On Malta, extraordinary events provide Paul with a different experience. He has already survived an attack from a snake (Acts 28:3–6). Now, he meets the chief of the island, whose father he will heal from a fever and dysentery; "chief man" is most likely an official title as it is found on engravings on the island. Word will get out, and Paul will have the opportunity to heal the rest of the sick islanders. In response, the locals will provide the survivors with everything they need for their three-month stay (Acts 28:8–11).
The residents of Malta are Phoenician. Such persons are classified as "Barbarians" by the Greeks and Romans because of their harsh-sounding language. Earlier, when Paul encountered the serpent, locals thought he must be a murderer receiving punishment from the gods. Now, the charitable response of the people and the honor shown by the chief man prove "Barbarians" can be kind and welcoming. In fact, these Barbarians are far more agreeable than the Jews Paul will meet in Rome.
